Closure

ABSTRACT

A screw-on closure, and a dispensing fitment for a container neck have co-operating orientation means defining a predetermined relative rotating orientation of the closure with respect to the fitment when it is screwed onto a container neck.

The present invention relates generally to a closure and particularly toa screw-on closure for use in conjunction with a container neck.

There are a variety of situations in which it is desirable to be able toorientate a closure with respect to a container, for example if theclosure and/or container are asymmetric or carry information or includedirectional dispensing components.

The present invention seeks to provide improvements in relation toorientatable closures.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is providedin combination, a screw-on closure and a dispensing fitment for acontainer neck, the closure and fitment having cooperating orientationmeans defining a predetermined relative rotational orientation of theclosure with respect to the fitment when if is screwed on to a neck.

This aspect of the present invention therefore provides a mechanism forachieving a required orientation of a fitment relative to a containerneck by using a closure to orientate the fitment.

According to an alternative aspect of the present invention there isprovided in combination, a screw-on closure and a dispensing fitment fora container neck, the closure and fitment having cooperating orientationmeans defining a predetermined relative rotational orientation of theclosure with respect to the fitment when it is screwed on to a neck, thefitment including a rim orientated towards the closure and the fitmentorientation means being provided on or by the top of the rim.

This aspect of the present invention therefore provides orientationmeans in a particular location, specifically on fop of a fitment rim sothat it can engage cooperating orientation means on a closure andthereafter be orientated by the closure, for example by causingco-rotation.

The fitment may comprise a nozzle. For example, the fitment may comprisea dispensing nozzle or spout arrangement intended to fit into or onto acontainer neck and thereafter dispense product when the closure issubsequently removed. In some embodiments the fitment comprises one ormore directional orifices which necessitate a specific orientation ofthe fitment with respect to a container.

The fitment may plug into the container neck. The fitment and closuremay be applied together to a container neck, with the closure drivingthe fitment down onto or into the container neck; thereafter the fitmentmay be plugged into and securely retained into the neck so that removalof the closure leaves the fitment firmly secured into the neck and doesnot remove it.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is providedin combination, a screw-on closure and a container with a neck definingan opening, the closure and the neck having cooperating screw threadformations and cooperating orientation means for defining apredetermined relative rotational orientation of the closure withrespect to the container, in which the neck orientation means areprovided on or by the top of the neck rim.

This aspect of the present invention therefore provides orientationmeans in a specific location and in particular the neck orientationmeans are provided by or on the top face of the neck rim.

The orientation means of aspects of the present invention may compriseratchet means, such as one or a plurality of ratchet teeth. In otherembodiments other analogous rotationally orientating features such asdrive dogs, driving faces and other projections may be used.

The closure may comprise an inner skirt and an outer skirt. The screwthread formations and/or orientating means of a closure may be providedon or by a or the inner skirt and/or the outer skirt. Multiple innerskirts, plugs and the like may be provided, with the formations andorientation means provided on or by the same or different parts.

The closure orientation means may be provided at a free end of the innerskirt. For example, the inner skirt may depend from a closure top plate,roof or the like and the orientation means are provided at the opposite,free end.

The closure may be provided with child-resistant anti-rotation means.The anti-rotation means can allow the closure and optional fitment to bescrewed onto a container neck but thereafter prevent unscrewing. In someembodiments the closure may be formed as a squeeze-and-turn closure inwhich squeezing part of the closure, for example an outer skirt, resultsin ovalisation and allows ratchet teeth on the closure to move clear ofratchet teeth on the container neck so that unscrewing can occur.

The present invention also provides a closure and/or a fitment and/or acontainer neck for use in any of the combinations described hereineither together or separately.

The orientation means and screw thread formations of the closure may beprovided on the same or a different skirt. For example, the screw threadformations may be provided on an outer or intermediate skirt and theorientation means may be provided radially inward of that skirt on afurther skirt.

The present invention will now be more particularly described, by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective sectional view of a closure formed according toan embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a further sectional perspective view of the closure of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of a dispensing fitment formed according to thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the fitment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an underplan view of the fitment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an alternative side view of the fitment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the fitment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is a partial section of the closure of FIG. 1 shown fitted withthe fitment of FIG. 3;

FIG. 9 is a further partial section of the closure and fitment of FIG.8; and

FIG. 10 is a partial section of the closure and fitment of FIGS. 8 and 9in association with a container neck.

Referring first to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a childresistant-orientating closure generally indicated 10. The closure 10comprises a body 12 having a generally cylindrical side wall 14 closedat one end by a frusto-conical cap 16 comprising an inclined side wall18 and a frustrum 20,

The inner surface of the wall 14 carries internal screw threadformations 30.

Radially outward of the free end of the side wall 14 an outer skirt 28is attached. The inner surface of the the skirt 28 carries a pair (onlyone is shown) of ratchet teeth 22 comprising an inclined face 24 and aflat abutment face 26.

Radially inward of the side wall 14 an inner skirt 32 depends from theinclined side wall 18. The skirt 32 is comprised of a pair of mirrorimage arcuate inclined ramps 34, 36 which define at each end a drivingface 38, 40. The ramps 34, 36 are semi-circular and continuous with eachother, in other words the faces 38, 40 terminate at the start of theramps.

Radially inwardly of the skirt 32 a generally cylindrical plug 42depends from the periphery of the frustrum 20.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 to 7 there is shown a dispensing fitmentgenerally indicated 50.

The fitment 50 comprises a generally cylindrical plug body 62 whichcarries a dispensing nozzle 54. The nozzle 54 is generally frustoconical and includes a slot 56 defining an orifice 58.

The body 62 tapers inwardly towards the free, non-nozzle end and carriesan annular sealing bead 64. The body 62 terminates at its end closest tothe orifice 58 with a rim 66. The rim 66 comprises a pair ofsemi-circular inclined ramps 68, 70 each terminating with a respectiveflat, driving face 72, 74 and thus being complimentary with the ramps34, 36 of the closure 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 8 and 9 the closure 10 and fitment 50 are shownfitted together. The nozzle 54 fits up into the plug skirt 42 and intothe cap 44, with the skirt 42 fitting between the nozzle body and theplug rim. The plug rim engages the skirt 32 and when the closure 10 isrotated relative to the fitment the complimentary ramps 34, 36, 68, 70engage with their respective driving faces 38, 40, 72, 74 engagedagainst each other so that in this position the closure and fitment willrotate together in a define relative rotational orientation.

This means that when the closure 10 and fitment 50 are presented to acontainer neck, when the closure 10 is rotated onto the neck it willalways engage the fitment and drive it into the neck bore as itco-rotates. This means that when the closure is fully screwed on to thecontainer neck the fitment will be in a predetermined relativerotational orientation both with respect to the closure and thecontainer neck.

As shown best in FIG. 10, the plug body 62 of the fitment 50 is securelyfitted into the bore of a container neck 80 so that when the closure 10is unscrewed the fitment 50 is retained in the neck 80.

In this embodiment the container neck 80 is provided with external screwthread formations 82 for engaging the formations 30 on the skirt 14.Additionally, the neck 80 is provided with a pair of ratchet teeth 84which cooperate with the teeth 22 on the skirt 28 to prevent counterrotation of the closure. In order to remove the closure 10 from the neck80 the skirt 28 must be ovalised to move the teeth 22 away from thecorresponding teeth 84 on the neck as is well known in squeeze-and-turnchild-resistant closures.

The closure 10 and fitment 50 can be pre-fitted together and appliedtogether to a container neck 80. Alternatively the fitment 50 can beloosely fitted into the container neck 80 and the closure 10 can beapplied. In either case the closure is rotated so that its driving facesengage those of the fitment rim so that rotation of the closure 10 withrespect to the neck 80 causes co-rotation of the closure and fitment inthe predetermined relative rotational orientation.

1-16. (canceled)
 17. In combination, a screw-on closure and a fitmentfor a container neck, the closure engaging the fitment so that theclosure and fitment co-rotate as the closure is screwed on to acontainer neck to a fully screwed on position, whereby when the closureis in the fully screwed on position the fitment is in a predeterminedrelative orientation with respect to the closure and the container neck.18. The closure claimed in claim 17, in which the fitment includes a rimoriented towards the closure and the closure engages the top of the rimto cause said co-rotation.
 19. The combination claimed in claim 17, inwhich the fitment comprises a dispensing fitment.
 20. The combinationclaimed in claim 17, in which the fitment comprises a nozzle.
 21. Thecombination claimed in claim 17, in which the fitment comprises one ormore directional orifices.
 22. The combination claimed in claim 17, inwhich the fitment plugs into the container neck.
 23. The combinationclaimed in claim 17, in which the closure is a child-resistant closure.24. The combination claimed in claim 17, in which the closure is asqueeze-and-turn closure.
 25. The combination claimed in claim 17, inwhich the closure and fitment co-rotate via co-operating orientationmeans.
 26. The combination claimed in claim 17, in which the closureand/or fitment have one or more ratchets.
 27. The combination claimed inclaim 17, in which the closure and/or fitment have one or more ratchetteeth.
 28. The combination claimed in claim 17, in which the closureand/or fitment have one or more rotationally orientating featuresselected from one or a plurality of: ratchets; drive dogs; drivingfaces; and projections.
 29. The combination claimed in claim 17, inwhich the closure comprises an inner skirt and an outer skirt.
 30. Thecombination claimed in claim 29, in which closure orientation means areprovided on the inner skirt.
 31. The combination claimed in claim 29, inwhich closure orientation means are provided at a free end of the innerskirt.
 32. A method of applying a fitment to a container neck comprisingthe steps of: providing a fitment; providing a screw-on closure with afully screwed on position of the closure having a predetermined relativerotational orientation with respect to the container neck; androtationally engaging the fitment in a predetermined relativeorientation via the closure, such that the closure and fitment co-rotateas the closure is applied to the container neck, such that in the fullyscrewed on position the fitment is in a predetermined relativeorientation with respect to the closure and the container neck.
 33. Incombination, a screw-on closure and a container with a neck defining anopening, the closure having screw thread formations and the neck havingco-operating screw thread formations and a rim, where a top of the rimof the neck engages the closure to define a predetermined relativerotational orientation between the closure and the neck.